Because She Smells Of Strawberries
by EmeraldStar-goddess
Summary: Laxus hates sweets - always has but there is one thing that's sweet that he has taken a strong liking to.


The sound of constant buzzing aroused her from her world of dreams, her arm reaching out from the warmth of her covers swinging once before landing on the alarm clock, fingers quickly finding the switch and turning the alarm off. A sigh escaped her lips as she opened her eyes, blinking a few times to wake up enough to read the glowing green numbers. It was four thirty.

Giving a yawn and a stretch she pushed herself up and off the bed, stumbling tiredly to her bathroom where she began her morning routine with a nice hot shower. Once finished she wrapped herself in her fluffy pink towels, drying her body off before leaving the steamy room and entering her bedroom. There she dressed herself in a pair of pink undergarments then putting on her favorite sleeveless, ankle-length maroon dress with a pleated skirt. She loved that the chest was adorned by a large pink bow and similarly colored trimmings framing the ample neckline that also acted as straps and circling around the waist.

Next was drying her long hair before putting her bangs up in its signature ponytail. Once finished she slipped on her favorite small chained necklace with a blue oval gem attached to it and her bracelet made of white flowers. She looked in her floor length mirror giving herself a once-over, smiling brightly at herself before putting on her maroon heels and making her way to the Fairy Tail guild hall.

Once inside the building she began doing her routine, cleaning, organizing and prepping. At the thought of preparations her blue eyes slid over to the clip board with several pieces of paper on it and all of her plans for a very special event happening later today. Giving her head a shake she continued her normal routine finishing up with opening the guild doors, as seven o'clock rolled around, which was when a certain grumpy lightning slayer entered the guild. Giving him a bright smile she set about making his normal breakfast, serving it to him she watched him give her a nod in thanks and she returned it with a smile.

After she made her way directly over to the clipboard skimming the contents of the pages she noticed everything was in order – except there was one thing missing. Her bright blue eyes turned to her fellow S-class mage sitting at the bar shoveling food into his mouth – and somehow looking quite proper. A smirk appeared on her lips as she thought about the fact that before the year 784 Laxus never thought twice about his table manners but since then he had often ate on the second floor, alone and subsequently his office. Walking over to the blonde slayer she waited patiently and gave him a bright smile the second he looked up.

"What do you want Mira." He asked gruffly and she let out a sigh.

"Well you see it's for this party I'm planning for Lucy." She began, noticing the way he tensed slightly. "I've got everything planned out – for her dinner and everything else but I'm missing a dessert. I wanted something bitter sweet but I have no idea what she'd like."

The man on the bar stool lifted his mug taking a long drink before giving her a bored look. She knew he was probably wondering why she didn't ask her teammates or friends but that was something she wouldn't reveal. "Chocolate covered strawberries." He said after a moment causing her to blink and then frown. He nearly rolled his eyes at her making her upset. "Dark chocolate covered strawberries." He amended and she smiled at his idea.

"Thanks Laxus." She chirped, skipping away to finish the preparations.

* * *

Laxus merely rolled his eyes and finished his meal before making his way up to his office where a mountain of paperwork awaited him. He unlocked the door and entered the office and flipped on the light switch, walking a few strides over to his desk where he removed his coat and sat down in his chair beginning his work.

In all honesty he hated it. Paperwork was the worst thing he had ever experienced in his entire life but his grandfather had insisted that if he wanted to take over the guild so badly then he needed to do the work – starting with all the paperwork that needed to be done annually from the time Mavis was master of the guild. He half growled. "You'd think being the first master she'd be smart enough to do all the paperwork." He grumbled out before focusing on the task at hand.

Not only was there annual paper work –such as the financial statements and the names of the mages in the guild along with any new members or any mishaps but there was also the complaints against Fairy Tail or specific mages of the guild. He was honestly dreading when he had to get to the flame-brain's stack. That itself would most likely take a month to complete, the idiot didn't know how to _not_ destroy anything. It's a wonder that his partner is still his partner. Giving his head a mental shake he focused once again on his work.

At around noon he felt satisfied with the work he'd done and decided a lunch break was in order – especially since his stomach was starting to grumble. Standing up from his desk he turned off the lights and made his way downstairs to sit in the guild and drink with his teammates before returning to his office. When he arrived on the second floor his eyes took in the usual chaos and he promptly made his way over to the bar where Mira met him with a bright smile on her face.

"I need a favor." At the tone of her voice he knew it wasn't going to be good but he also took note of the underlying tone that suggested there was no way out of whatever she wanted and if he tried he had to face her wrath. Not in the mood to fight or argue he looked at her waiting.

"What is it?" He demanded.

"I need you to distract Lucy so I can fix up the guild."

He frowned. "Why can't any of her –"

"Because I need their help and you're the only one that doesn't want to help decorate or cook."

"You know I can't co-"

"Which is why I'm having you distract her, now go." She waved him off in a shooing manner and he nearly rolled his eyes.

Turning he skimmed the guild for the little blonde cheerleader wondering exactly what he could do to distract her but upon feeling his stomach grumble he wasn't sure _that_ was the best idea. Being a slayer he had a tendency to eat _a lot_ but he couldn't deny the fact that he was starving. Giving a groan his eyes soon landed on the celestial mage and he swiftly walked over to her, standing behind her he waited for her to turn around. Upon the others going silent she had asked them what was wrong before turning in her seat and finally looking up at him. Her chocolate brown eyes met his and he could tell she was surprised to see him standing there.

"Laxus?" She spoke his name and the surprise on her face was even more so expressed in the sound of her voice.

"Let's go." She blinked her pretty brown eyes at him, confusion making its way onto her face. "I don't have all day blondie, let's go." He demanded and she quickly stood up following him out of the guild.

"Laxus, what's going on?" Her voice was full of confusion and he continued to walk, remaining silent. "Hold on a second!" She called out and he paused in his stride, noticing her running to catch up to him. "Can –"She cut herself off with a huff, as she caught her breath. "Can you at least walk at a slower pace if you're not going to talk to me?"

"Yeah." She gave him a smile as she stood beside him.

"Thank you."

As they walked he glanced to his side and decided to let her know where they were going. It was the least he could do since he had demanded her to go with him. "Lunch." She looked up at him. "I'm hungry." This only caused her to frown before she spoke.

"Why are you bringing me?"

"Because it's your birthday." He grumbled out figuring a birthday gift was the best excuse he could give her. He glanced at her and noticed the bright smile on her face before she looked up at him.

"You remembered." He turned his face, refusing to let a blush appear on his face just because she sounded so damn happy about the fact.

"Yeah." He grumbled out and she giggled. His eyes glanced down at the small woman beside him, noticing a bounce in her step. Clearing his head he focused on the walk, looking for his favorite restaurant.

When they arrived he held the door open for her and let his eyes travel downward appreciating her assets to the fullest before he entered the building himself. He led her in and after speaking to the maître'd they were led to a table near the back which was his favorite place to sit so his teammates would leave him alone for a while.

Laxus pulled out the chair for Lucy and she smiled at him before taking her seat and he carefully pushed her in, then taking his place across from her he noticed the sommelier arrive and he ordered a bottle of champagne and not long after the waiter arrived and the pair ordered, Laxus letting her order hers first then ordering his usual. The sommelier returned and poured the champagne into the glass before placing it into the ice bucket, bowing and taking his leave.

"Do you come here often?" She asked picking up her glass.

He shrugged slightly. "Maybe once or twice a week, when I want to get away."

She frowned slightly, a small smile on her face. "From what?" She asked, taking a small drink from her glass.

"My overzealous teammates." Lucy giggled at his words but nodded in understanding.

"I like to hide out in the library." She said softly as if her teammates would somehow randomly appear and find out her secret. "It's the safest place I know."

"Aren't you worried the armored devil or the stripper is going to find you?" Lucy shook her head at his question.

"No, especially since Gray has an aversion to libraries as much as Natsu does. As for Erza – well truth be told she knows where it is but she knows never to bother me but that's –"She cut herself off smiling. "Well, my reasoning is a secret but either way it all works out for the best."

Laxus couldn't help but eye her as she lifted her glass for another drink of champagne. The smile on her face as she talked about Erza seemed to be a little sinister as if she _really_ did have something on Titania. Deciding to bypass that he lifted his glass and took a drink from it, glad he chose it. His eyes moved from the glass to the girl sitting across from him, taking in the way she placed the glass down on the table before her brown eyes looked up at him and she smiled.

"What?"

"Nothing." She giggled shaking her head at him about to say something else his nose soon caught the scent of food and he looked over noticing a waiter carrying a tray over to them. "Lunch is here." He informed her and she sat up, moving her arms off the table. The waiter greeted them and placed several plates in front of Laxus before placing a plate in front of Lucy. The man left them mumbling a reminder that if they needed him to just call.

As the pair ate he found that keeping up a conversation with her had been relatively easy. They both talked about the various jobs they went on with their team and she had even told him about the first time she met Natsu and how he had destroyed everything and they ran away from the rune knights before arriving in Magnolia where he took her to Fairy Tail.

After lunch he wasn't sure how long it'd be before the preparations would be ready so he walked with her around town and they stopped by a couple magic shops so she could look for any keys and leaving her contact information with the store owner so that she would be notified the second they had any come in. After a little while longer of walking around they ended up at a little ice cream shop and he had apparently surprised her when he had gotten ice cream as well.

"You know, I didn't think you liked ice cream." The lightning mage took a seat near the blonde shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't particularly like sweets." He replied causing her to frown.

"Then why are you eating it?"

"Because I happen to like strawberries."

* * *

At his response she couldn't help but feel a little surprised but she smiled at him as she nodded her head. "Me too." Her attention returned to the cone in her hand, her tongue gliding easily along the frozen treat as she sat in compatible silence with Laxus. Honestly she had been surprised that he had demanded her to follow him out of the guild and even more so when he remembered her birthday. In truth she thought Laxus didn't even know when her birthday was.

Lunch had been pleasant and his company wasn't bad either and now sitting beside him she felt relaxed. It was funny how much she discovered they had in common besides being blonde and a Fairy Tail wizard. Letting a smile come to her face she continued with her ice cream, as well as the delicious waffle cone. By the time they finished it was late in the afternoon and he was leading her back to the guild due to his apparent enormous pile of paper work and she couldn't help but offer him company while he did said paperwork, surprised when he did take her up on the offer.

Upon arriving at the guild she noticed that the double doors were closed which while not completely unusual she could clearly remember them being open when she arrived and when she and Laxus left. The celestial mage sent a curious glance up at Laxus and he merely shrugged his shoulders before opening the door for her and she stepped inside curious as to why the guild was so dark.

"What's going on?" Just as the words left her mouth, Laxus had closed the door and the lights turned on all at once and she could see the guild standing all around with smiles on their face.

"Surprise! Happy Birthday Lucy!"

At this the blonde couldn't help the tears that came to her face as she had never expected a surprise birthday party. Unable to help it she ran over to her friends hugging them tightly as she thanked them, trying to dry her tears when Natsu told her she didn't need to cry over it. After the tearful thanks an already drunk Cana yelled for Mira to bring out the food and the booze.

Dinner had been fantastic, all of her favorite foods and a few she'd rather not remember. After dinner they sat together talking for a while before they brought out the cake which was her favorite part. Natsu had been careful and lit all the candles for her and she blew them out not really bothering to make a wish because there was nothing she could really ask for that she didn't already have. Mira also brought out a few trays of chocolate covered strawberries for everyone to enjoy.

At Natsu's insistence she began opening presents, starting with his, which to her surprise was a key. Next was Levy, Gray's, Erza's and then everyone else's. By the end of it she had several new books, a coupe keys and a few other things. Thanking everyone again the blonde began cleaning up the mess of the wrapping paper, putting her gifts in a bag to be taken home later.

"Lucy." Turning the stellar mage noticed a small present in her hand. "I think you missed one." The blonde walked over to her and took the gift out of her hand, examining it.

"It doesn't say who it's from." Lucy looked at the pink paper and smiled.

"Just open it." Nodding her head she began taking off the wrapping paper revealing a simple white box.

Removing the lid she looked inside, discovering that it was a silver pendant necklace with a strawberry shaped pendant but instead of ruby colored gems, they were chocolate colored. Her eyes slid over to the chocolate covered strawberries before looking back at Mira, who was merely smiling at her.

"Can you help me?" Lucy asked and Mira nodded, waiting for the blonde to pull her hair up before putting it on her. Lucy looked down at the pendant smiling. "Thank you Mira."

"Of course"

She bit her lip now curious about the chocolate covered strawberries; turning to her friend she looked at her needing to know. "Mira, about the chocolate covered strawberries –"She began but Mira spoke.

"I was having a hard time thinking of a dessert that you'd like, that was also bitter sweet and I asked Laxus for help." She confessed. Unable to help it she looked over to the lightning slayer before smiling.

"Thank you." She turned at the sound of Levy calling her name, quickly making her way over to her friend to talk to her.

* * *

His eyes followed her as she moved about the guild. He had enjoyed the expressions on her face throughout this event. Of course his favorite part was watching her open the necklace he had gotten her for her birthday. The smile on her face was exactly what he wanted to see. Lifting his mug he soon realized it was empty and he shouted for Mira to bring him a refill, the barmaid coming to his side quickly, refilling his mug.

"I take it her last present was from you?" she asked softly and he nodded his head as he lifted his now filled mug for a drink. "Could I ask you something?"

He opened his mouth to reply only to stop himself from saying anything as the blonde came bouncing over to him and he finally understood why Gajeel had continuously called her bunny girl, even though she hadn't worn that outfit more than a handful of times.

"Hi, Laxus" She greeted cheerfully and he grunted in response taking a drink from his mug. At his response he received a hit from Mira which caused him to frown and glare at the demon woman.

"What is it blondie?" He asked and her smile brightened.

"Well, I just – Mira told me that it was you who suggested the chocolate covered strawberries for dessert and I wanted to thank you since it's actually one of my favorite desserts." His eyes watched her as she stood fidgeting with the necklace he bought her before she surprised him by pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you." She murmured and he resisted the shiver running down his spine as he soft voice spoke in his ear.

"You're welcome." He replied a little gruffly but she merely smiled and returned to her friends, talking and giggling.

"You know, I had wondered why you had decided on that dessert but now I see it." Mira giggled and he rolled his eyes.

"I've got paperwork to do." The lightning mage stood from his seat, ignoring the giggling demon barmaid. On the second floor he stopped, looking down at the first floor to see her smile one more time, before he turned and made his way to his office to begin his work.

In truth he hadn't chosen the dessert because he knew she liked it or in hopes of getting a kiss from her. He had chosen it because she was sweet like strawberries and because he had secretly wanted to be the dark chocolate to the bitter sweet treat.


End file.
